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Thread: "Life in NZ" through the eyes of someone who lived in US?

  1. #1
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    Default "Life in NZ" through the eyes of someone who lived in US?

    Hi,

    I have been lurking around this forum for almost 2 years but decided to take the plunge today.

    I am an Indian citizen, currently living in US with 2 kids. Both me and spouse are with a major employer here in US. But when it comes to PR, we are looking at a really dark tunnel with no end in sight. We assesed the situation couple of years back and started looking for alternate shores. We have a family member living there in NZ and so the choice was easy then. We sent the EOI early 2009 and what followed was a rough ride ... will save it for another post. But the good news is that our PR got approved in late 2010. We are planning for a recce trip in the next couple of months and am looking forward to it.

    As for settling, I have 3 choices now: US, India and NZ. We are already in US, alive and kicking, but the visa and PR situation is not helping us take a longterm look at life. That leaves us with India and NZ. While India offers better career prospects in IT and also extended family, I feel the pressure kids undergo in education is avoidable. I understand NZ may not promise better prospects career-wise but kids would definitely get a well-rounded education.

    NZ hold a slight edge but the fact that we dont have a job in NZ yet is worrisome. Where we end up living is ultimately a personal decision but I am looking for different perspectives that would help me choose.

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Dec 2010
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    With NZ residency your children get free university education. Even if its not on par with the quality of some American Universities that is still a big plus.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by reptile2005 View Post
    With NZ residency your children get free university education. Even if its not on par with the quality of some American Universities that is still a big plus.
    Where is the free university education? If you are a NZ resident then your children pay domestic fees for tertiary education in NZ instead of international fees.

    Ian

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by IanW99 View Post
    ...domestic fees for tertiary education in NZ instead of international fees...
    domestic fees are not free as Ian pointed out, but around 1/3 of the international fees

  5. #5
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    Anyways...good luck with your decision...if I was in your shoes...will go for NZ

  6. #6
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    American expats now currently living in NZ and are never moving back to the US.

    You might narrow the scope of the question you are asking as it is pretty broad and a book could be written on the differences between the US and NZ. Do you have any specific areas you would like a perspective on?

    Personally, we feel that the future of the US is not too bright for a lot of reasons (economically, politically, culturally, and society at large) and while NZ is not perfect it offers the best potential for a happy comfortable life, not only now, but in the next 20+ years for us. The current economic troubles you see in the US is not just another downturn. It is the new normal and there will be no "real" recovery. There has been a huge increase in the number of Americans looking to move to NZ posting on this forum in the past year (I have been a member since 2005 and there were virtually none then). The latest EOI draw had twice the percentage of Americans selected from when we went through the process about 2.5 years ago. If native Americans are looking for the exit doors of the US at a rapidly increasing rate, you might want to take notice and evaluate your options further.

    As others have mentioned, University is not free. Yearly tuition runs around $5-6k NZD at the major NZ Uni's. My wife is currently at Massey and the quality of the education received is an absolute bargain coming from the US where her same degree would probably cost $30-40k USD compared to about $19k NZD total.
    Last edited by TJH; 22nd January 2011 at 04:17 PM.

  7. #7
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    I don't know if the following would appeal to you as a motivating factors. But, as scary as the thought of migrating without having a job might seem, have you considered the fact that the jobs you currently have in the US may not necessarily last for as long as you'd hope for regardless of your abilities and skills? And since your visas must be tied to your jobs, the loss of job will also mean the loss of immigration status? And possibly health insurance as well? At least in New Zealand, you wouldn't have to worry about the last two items.

    Having moved to the US from Bangladesh by way of Europe a quarter of a century ago, with decent professional status for both my wife and myself, we should've felt very much at home in the US by now. For various reasons, we don't. So, come June this year, we plan to move to New Zealand. We have two school-going children. At least two of the NZ universities appear in the list of best 100 (or 50 - I don't remember which) in the world. Should our children gain acceptance at these or any other NZ universities, we won't have any regrets about not staying on in the US with the hope of seeing them go to Ivy League schools, assuming we could pay the fees which I doubt very much.

    Whichever way you decide, I wish you good luck.
    Last edited by NJ2NZ; 22nd January 2011 at 04:51 PM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by IanW99 View Post
    Where is the free university education? If you are a NZ resident then your children pay domestic fees for tertiary education in NZ instead of international fees.

    Ian
    Good to know Ian. Thanks for clarifying.

  9. #9
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    Thanks TJH and NJ2NZfor the detailed comment. It is surprising to see that lot of native Americans are leaving the country in search of greener pastures. I thought it is the case only with non-immigrants who could not make it.

    My question may have been broad since I am yet to put my finger on specific questions. What started off as a backup option(NZ), in case US green card didnt work out, is now being looked at as the primary option. I see no point in waiting for another 5-10years for the PR in US, especially when the future is not looking great. While I see that the ship is not stable and may probably sink, I feel jittery about jumping into the water hoping that someone would rescue us(read: get a job and settle down in NZ). We need to convince ourselves that NZ is "the place" for us come what may.

    Some of the questions coming up are:
    * on average, how long does it take for an immigrant to land in a job in a chosen profession?
    * for someone in IT, how long does it take to get a job?
    * what is the % of immigrants forced to pick up "any" job due to lack of opportunities in chosen field?
    * How is the school education in NZ compared to that in US? (I saw a recent report where NZ schools fared much better in international test scores but want to hear from somone on the ground who has seen both)
    * what ways do you miss US (apart from family)?
    * Tips to network with people in NZ while sititng in a far-away land (emigrantenz does look like an excellent option)

    There are still a lot more but let me stop here for now.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by TJH View Post
    As others have mentioned, University is not free. Yearly tuition runs around $5-6k NZD at the major NZ Uni's. My wife is currently at Massey and the quality of the education received is an absolute bargain coming from the US where her same degree would probably cost $30-40k USD compared to about $19k NZD total.

    Not true. As I mentioned in another thread there are many American schools that are around $7k per year. I went to a tier one research school that is still this price.

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